381 research outputs found
Semi-quantitative immunohistochemical detection of 5-hydroxymethyl-cytosine reveals conservation of its tissue distribution between amphibians and mammals
5-Hydroxymethyl-cytosine (5-hmC) is a form of modified cytosine, which has recently attracted a considerable attention due to its potential role in transcriptional regulation. According to several reports 5-hydroxymethyl-cytosine distribution is tissue-specific in mammals. Thus, 5-hmC is enriched in embryonic cell populations and in adult neuronal tissue. Here, we describe a novel method of semi-quantitative immunohistochemical detection of 5-hmC and utilize it to assess the levels of this modification in amphibian tissues. We show that, similar to mammalian embryos, 5-hmC is enriched in axolotl tadpoles compared with adult tissues. Our data demonstrate that 5-hmC distribution is tissue-specific in amphibians, and that strong 5-hmC enrichment in neuronal cells is conserved between amphibians and mammals. In addition, we identify 5-hmC-enriched cell populations that are distributed in amphibian skin and connective tissue in a mosaic manner. Our results illustrate that immunochemistry can be successfully used not only for spatial identification of cells enriched with 5-hmC, but also for the semi-quantitative assessment of the levels of this epigenetic modification in single cells of different tissues. © 2012 Landes Bioscience
The starburst phenomenon from the optical/near-IR perspective
The optical/near-IR stellar continuum carries unique information about the
stellar population in a galaxy, its mass function and star-formation history.
Star-forming regions display rich emission-line spectra from which we can
derive the dust and gas distribution, map velocity fields, metallicities and
young massive stars and locate shocks and stellar winds. All this information
is very useful in the dissection of the starburst phenomenon. We discuss a few
of the advantages and limitations of observations in the optical/near-IR region
and focus on some results. Special attention is given to the role of
interactions and mergers and observations of the relatively dust-free starburst
dwarfs. In the future we expect new and refined diagnostic tools to provide us
with more detailed information about the IMF, strength and duration of the
burst and its triggering mechanisms.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in "Starbursts: from 30 Doradus to
Lyman Break Galaxies" 2005, eds. R. de Grijs and R. M. Gonzalez Delgado
(Kluwer
The stellar host in blue compact dwarf galaxies: the need for a two-dimensional fit
The structural properties of the low surface brightness stellar host in blue
compact dwarf galaxies are often studied by fitting r^{1/n} models to the outer
regions of their radial profiles. The limitations imposed by the presence of a
large starburst emission overlapping the underlying component makes this kind
of analysis a difficult task. We propose a two-dimensional fitting methodology
in order to improve the extraction of the structural parameters of the LSB
host. We discuss its advantages and weaknesses by using a set of simulated
galaxies and compare the results for a sample of eight objects with those
already obtained using a one-dimensional technique. We fit a PSF convolved
Sersic model to synthetic galaxies, and to real galaxy images in the B, V, R
filters. We restrict the fit to the stellar host by masking out the starburst
region and take special care to minimize the sky-subtraction uncertainties. In
order to test the robustness and flexibility of the method, we carry out a set
of fits with synthetic galaxies. Furthermore consistency checks are performed
to assess the reliability and accuracy of the derived structural parameters.
The more accurate isolation of the starburst emission is the most important
advantage and strength of the method. Thus, we fit the host galaxy in a range
of surface brightness and in a portion of area larger than in previous
published 1D fits with the same dataset. We obtain robust fits for all the
sample galaxies, all of which, except one, show Sersic indices n very close to
1, with good agreement in the three bands. These findings suggest that the
stellar hosts in BCDs have near-exponential profiles, a result that will help
us to understand the mechanisms that form and shape BCD galaxies, and how they
relate to the other dwarf galaxy classes.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figures (low resolution), accepted for publication in
A&A. A higher resolution version of the figures can be provided upon reques
MinION Analysis and Reference Consortium: Phase 1 data release and analysis
The advent of a miniaturized DNA sequencing device with a high-throughput contextual sequencing capability embodies the next generation of large scale sequencing tools. The MinIONâą Access Programme (MAP) was initiated by Oxford Nanopore Technologiesâą in April 2014, giving public access to their USB-attached miniature sequencing device. The MinION Analysis and Reference Consortium (MARC) was formed by a subset of MAP participants, with the aim of evaluating and providing standard protocols and reference data to the community. Envisaged as a multi-phased project, this study provides the global community with the Phase 1 data from MARC, where the reproducibility of the performance of the MinION was evaluated at multiple sites. Five laboratories on two continents generated data using a control strain of Escherichia coli K-12, preparing and sequencing samples according to a revised ONT protocol. Here, we provide the details of the protocol used, along with a preliminary analysis of the characteristics of typical runs including the consistency, rate, volume and quality of data produced. Further analysis of the Phase 1 data presented here, and additional experiments in Phase 2 of E. coli from MARC are already underway to identify ways to improve and enhance MinION performance
Imaging Jupiter's radiation belts down to 127 MHz with LOFAR
Context. Observing Jupiter's synchrotron emission from the Earth remains
today the sole method to scrutinize the distribution and dynamical behavior of
the ultra energetic electrons magnetically trapped around the planet (because
in-situ particle data are limited in the inner magnetosphere). Aims. We perform
the first resolved and low-frequency imaging of the synchrotron emission with
LOFAR at 127 MHz. The radiation comes from low energy electrons (~1-30 MeV)
which map a broad region of Jupiter's inner magnetosphere. Methods (see article
for complete abstract) Results. The first resolved images of Jupiter's
radiation belts at 127-172 MHz are obtained along with total integrated flux
densities. They are compared with previous observations at higher frequencies
and show a larger extent of the synchrotron emission source (>=4 ). The
asymmetry and the dynamic of east-west emission peaks are measured and the
presence of a hot spot at lambda_III=230 {\deg} 25 {\deg}. Spectral flux
density measurements are on the low side of previous (unresolved) ones,
suggesting a low-frequency turnover and/or time variations of the emission
spectrum. Conclusions. LOFAR is a powerful and flexible planetary imager. The
observations at 127 MHz depict an extended emission up to ~4-5 planetary radii.
The similarities with high frequency results reinforce the conclusion that: i)
the magnetic field morphology primarily shapes the brightness distribution of
the emission and ii) the radiating electrons are likely radially and
latitudinally distributed inside about 2 . Nonetheless, the larger extent
of the brightness combined with the overall lower flux density, yields new
information on Jupiter's electron distribution, that may shed light on the
origin and mode of transport of these particles.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&A (27/11/2015) -
abstract edited because of limited character
Optimized Trigger for Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic-Ray and Neutrino Observations with the Low Frequency Radio Array
When an ultra-high energy neutrino or cosmic ray strikes the Lunar surface a
radio-frequency pulse is emitted. We plan to use the LOFAR radio telescope to
detect these pulses. In this work we propose an efficient trigger
implementation for LOFAR optimized for the observation of short radio pulses.Comment: Submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research
Section
Star Formation in the Central 400 pc of the Milky Way: Evidence for a Population of Massive YSOs
The central kpc of the Milky Way might be expected to differ significantly
from the rest of the Galaxy with regard to gas dynamics and the formation of
YSOs. We probe this possibility with mid-infrared observations obtained with
IRAC and MIPS on Spitzer and with MSX. We use color-color diagrams and SED fits
to explore the nature of YSO candidates (including objects with 4.5 micron
excesses possibly due to molecular emission). There is an asymmetry in the
distribution of the candidate YSOs, which tend to be found at negative Galactic
longitudes; this behavior contrasts with that of the molecular gas,
approximately 2/3 of which is at positive longitudes. The small scale height of
these objects suggests that they are within the Galactic center region and are
dynamically young. They lie between two layers of infrared dark clouds and may
have originated from these clouds. We identify new sites for this recent star
formation. The methanol masers appear to be associated with young, embedded
YSOs characterized by 4.5 micron excesses. We use the SEDs of these sources to
estimate their physical characteristics. Within the central 400x50 pc
(|l|<1.3\degr and |b|<10') the star formation rate based on the identification
of Stage I evolutionary phase of YSO candidates is about 0.14 solar mass/yr. We
suggest that a recent burst of star formation took place within the last 10^5
years. This suggestion is also consistent with estimates of star formation
rates within the last ~10^7 years showing a peak around 10^5 years ago. Lastly,
we find that the Schmidt-Kennicutt Law applies well in the central 400 pc of
the Galaxy. This implies that star formation does not appear to be dramatically
affected by the extreme physical conditions in the Galactic center region.Comment: 96 pages, ten tables, 35 figures, ApJ (in press), replaced by a
revised versio
Detectors for the James Webb Space Telescope Near-Infrared Spectrograph I: Readout Mode, Noise Model, and Calibration Considerations
We describe how the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near-Infrared
Spectrograph's (NIRSpec's) detectors will be read out, and present a model of
how noise scales with the number of multiple non-destructive reads
sampling-up-the-ramp. We believe that this noise model, which is validated
using real and simulated test data, is applicable to most astronomical
near-infrared instruments. We describe some non-ideal behaviors that have been
observed in engineering grade NIRSpec detectors, and demonstrate that they are
unlikely to affect NIRSpec sensitivity, operations, or calibration. These
include a HAWAII-2RG reset anomaly and random telegraph noise (RTN). Using real
test data, we show that the reset anomaly is: (1) very nearly noiseless and (2)
can be easily calibrated out. Likewise, we show that large-amplitude RTN
affects only a small and fixed population of pixels. It can therefore be
tracked using standard pixel operability maps.Comment: 55 pages, 10 figure
The distribution of water in the high-mass star-forming region NGC 6334I
We present observations of twelve rotational transitions of H2O-16, H2O-18,
and H2O-17 toward the massive star-forming region NGC 6334 I, carried out with
Herschel/HIFI as part of the guaranteed time key program Chemical HErschel
Surveys of Star forming regions (CHESS). We analyze these observations to
obtain insights into physical processes in this region.
We identify three main gas components (hot core, cold foreground, and
outflow) in NGC 6334 I and derive the physical conditions in these components.
The hot core, identified by the emission in highly excited lines, shows a
high excitation temperature of 200 K, whereas water in the foreground component
is predominantly in the ortho- and para- ground states. The abundance of water
varies between 4 10^-5 (outflow) and 10^-8 (cold foreground gas). This
variation is most likely due to the freeze-out of water molecules onto dust
grains. The H2O-18/H2O-17 abundance ratio is 3.2, which is consistent with the
O-18/O-17 ratio determined from CO isotopologues. The ortho/para ratio in water
appears to be relatively low 1.6(1) in the cold, quiescent gas, but close to
the equilibrium value of three in the warmer outflow material (2.5(0.8)).Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted by A&
Apertif 1.4 GHz continuum observations of the Bo\"otes field and their combined view with LOFAR
We present a new image of a 26.5 square degree region in the Bo\"otes
constellation obtained at 1.4 GHz using the Aperture Tile in Focus (Apertif)
system on the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. We use a newly developed
processing pipeline which includes direction-dependent self-calibration which
provides a significant improvement of the quality of the images compared to
those released as part of the Apertif first data release. For the Bo\"otes
region, we mosaic 187 Apertif images and extract a source catalog. The mosaic
image has an angular resolution of 2711.5 arcseconds and a median
background noise of 40 Jy/beam. The catalog has 8994 sources and is
complete down to the 0.3 mJy level. We combine the Apertif image with LOFAR
images of the Bo\"otes field at 54 and 150 MHz to study spectral properties of
the sources. We find a spectral flattening towards low flux density sources.
Using the spectral index limits from Apertif non-detections we derive that up
to 9 percent of the sources have ultra-steep spectra with a slope steeper than
-1.2. Steepening of the spectral index with increasing redshift is also seen in
the data showing a different dependency for the low-frequency spectral index
and the high frequency one. This can be explained by a population of sources
having concave radio spectra with a turnover frequency around the LOFAR band.
Additionally, we discuss cases of individual extended sources with an
interesting resolved spectral structure. With the improved pipeline, we aim to
continue processing data from the Apertif wide-area surveys and release the
improved 1.4 GHz images of several famous fields.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures; to be published in A&
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